Chapter 12
Rarity was able to follow her own trail well enough to get back to where she had left Teal Jack’s gang. From there, Frank could follow the tracks and keep them moving along in pursuit.
The evening sun was going down, but after a short conversation both of them decided to keep going. It hadn’t been too long since they’d escaped from Roswell and avoiding a posse took priority over catching some sleep.
As the sky darkened, Rarity slowed her pace slightly so she could eat and walk at the same time, grabbing mouthfuls as she went. She’d made sure Frank’s trail snacks were still in the saddlebags, and he ate some.
The moon had started to rise when Frank dozed off for the first time. He roused himself and muttered something.
“What was that?” asked Rarity.
“Nothing worth repeating.” Frank yawned. “I’m trying to stay awake.”
“We can talk, if you like.”
Frank shrugged.
Rarity considered a topic. “What will you do when this is all over?”
“Well, assuming everything works out for me, I’ll probably go back to drifting. If I can prove that I didn’t kill that waitress, I’ll do that.” He shifted a little in the saddle. “What about you?”
“I’m going home as soon as possible. My friends will be worried sick.” Rarity paused, considering what might have happened in her absence. Hopefully nothing horrible. “After arriving, I will refrain from traveling outside my world ever again.”
They both chuckled quietly at that. It was a nice bit of humor. That is, it was, right up until the point when the two of them were suddenly illuminated from above by a harsh blue-white light.
Rarity started, looking up and squinting in the light. Frank raised a hand to shade his eyes, trying to see what was hovering above them in the sky. He had heard of electric lightbulbs, but didn’t think anything natural to Earth could produce such a blinding light.
Rarity shifted under him and she gasped in surprise. “I’m...I’m floating!”
Frank glanced downwards, seeing the ground getting further away as Rarity’s hooves flailed in the air. The two of them were being drawn upwards towards the light.
“Abducted by aliens!” Rarity shrieked. “This is the worst possible thing!”
Frank agreed.
They kept getting closer to the source of the light until it seemed to almost envelop the two of them. Even squinting, the brightness was almost unbearable. There was a low hum and a metallic sound. The light suddenly cut off and Rarity dropped a few inches onto a hard surface.
Blinking, the two of them looked around. The space was dimly illuminated and roughly circular in shape. There were no sharp edges to be seen and most of the visible surfaces seemed to be made of metal. A few seconds passed and a door slid up, revealing a room beyond and a dark figure silhouetted in the doorway.
Frank pulled his gun and lined up the sights. “Who’s there?”
The life form - whatever it was - moved forward slightly. Rarity unholstered one of her pistols and held it up parallel to Frank’s gun. The display of magic appeared to give the figure pause, and then it raised something that glinted in the light.
BANG BANG
Both bullets hit, and the figure slumped over, something rattling as it fell to the floor.
Rarity stepped closer. Frank climbed down from the saddle. The silently stared for a few seconds at a creature that was completely unlike anything either of them had ever seen before. It bled green on the floor. Nearby lay a small shiny metallic object. It didn’t look like a handgun, but then the alien didn’t have hands. Rarity picked the device up and inspected it for a moment before sliding it into a saddlebag.
They both stepped around the body and into the next room, guns up and ready. There were a few pieces of equipment there, but it was impossible to identify any of it. A few doorways branched off the main room, but they were covered by transparent barriers that glowed slightly. Frank raised his hand to touch one, but then thought better of it.
A hallway led further. Along it were a series of solid metal doors. Frank paused and knelt, studying a trail of what looked like blood that led under one of the doors. The blood was red, not alien.
Rarity saw the look on his face and was able to put things together for herself. Frank stood up and was just turning to continue walking when there was a sound from the end of the hallway. Forewarned, he and Rarity both had their guns ready when another alien appeared. Their weapons thundered, the sound magnified in the small space. This time, there was return fire. A thin beam of green light flashed from the alien’s device, the aim disrupted by taking two bullets.
“Was that a laser?” Rarity murmured, glancing at the burn mark on the ceiling that the alien weapon had made.
“A what?” Frank shook his head. “Never mind.”
He paused to break open his revolver and reload the fired chambers with cartridges from his belt. Taking the rolled up money from the safety chamber, he loaded that one, too.
They advanced to the end of the hallway and came upon a wider room. There were seats near the back near where Frank and Rarity had come in. At the other end were windows and a bank of complicated equipment that flashed lights. There were also half a dozen aliens with weapons who promptly began firing.
There was precious little cover available, only the narrow hallway and a few pieces of furniture. Fortunately, the lasers didn’t seem to have punch to them; they were just beams of light. Deadly light, but still not quite as penetrating as a bullet.
Rarity’s magic was invaluable here, her guns easily able to engage targets without exposing much of herself. The fight was fierce, but in the small space it was over quickly.
Frank’s trousers had been singed near his lower leg, but the loose material had been burned, not him. Rarity’s hat had taken a direct hit and she tossed it away as it smoldered.
Still on edge despite their apparent victory, the two of them slowly advanced into the room. It seemed like some sort of control center. A lot of the equipment had been damaged in the exchange of fire.
Rarity said, “Well, now what do we-”
Everything lurched to the side as warning sirens began to blare. The furniture, damaged but still plush, slid across the room. Frank and Rarity ended up piled on top of it all just before there was a tremendous crash and every visible light was extinguished.
A few tinkles of metal and other debris persisted, but most of the noise had gone. Frank groaned, tenderly touching his previously cracked ribs. Rarity sorted herself out and managed to stand awkwardly on the sloping floor. They both looked around. Faint moonlight could be seen through the windows at the front of the room.
“I think we’ve landed,” Rarity said.
Frank got up awkwardly, still in pain. Rarity stepped close and let him lean on her as they picked their way through the mess. Back near the room where they had first come aboard there was a large tear in the metal, cool desert air blowing in. Using her saddle as a guard to keep from cutting herself, Rarity squeezed through. Frank followed her and then laboriously climbed into the saddle.
They rode in a circle around the machine. It looked as strange from the outside as it had from within.
“What in the world...” Frank muttered.
“I don't think this thing is actually from this world,” Rarity disagreed.
They both stared for a few moments longer before Frank glanced up, checking the stars. He figured for a few minutes and decided, “We aren’t far from where we were before.”
“But we’ve lost the trail of the gang,” Rarity sighed.
“You’re worried about that right after we got abducted by aliens?”
“All the aliens are now dead and we’re back on the ground. What should I be worried about now that it’s over?”
She had a point and Frank shrugged. “I guess we can keep going in the general direction. Maybe we’ll get lucky and cross their trail.”
They both glanced back at the wrecked vehicle and set off.
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Wat.
And then aliens happened. Because reasons.
What the actual fuck?
There is only one thing I can say about this chapter.
Oh, come on.
This feels like a Big Lipped Alligator Moment.
Well, that was convenient. I suppose the aliens came back a century later to retrieve their lost craft?
Lulz were had.
Huh? This made zero sense. Unless, they are somehow connected with the crystal and we see that somewhere in the last few chapters. Otherwise, this was completely random.
americathebrewtiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Aliens-meme.jpg
I'm almost positive this is what the Natives were talking about some chapters ago. Though it still could have been Rarity appearing. Also that shiny thing better do something eventually or else this could possibly be... rushed.
The first thing you do when you meet aliens is to shoot first and ask questions later. Great first contact you guys.
3445948 3446021 It's Roswell think about it.
3446118 To be fair, they were just abducted. Had the aliens landed and ventured forth, then diplomacy would seem to be the best solution, but abduction implies anal probing and machines for replacing various organs for science. Shoot first seems to be the ideal solution in this case, and it seems to have worked out.
that was lolworthy
Aliens? Didn't see that one coming.
Well...that happened.
Roswell
Did the calendar advance to April Fool's Day while I wasn't paying attention?
But Fonzi, you can't jump over a shark on your water skis!
3446118
Hey, they're the ones that did the abducting missy/mister. Abducting isn't usually a sign of good intentions...
I didn't realize Frank had the Wild Wasteland perk enabled!
)
Then again, he's already met a magical talking unicorn, so perhaps I shouldn't be quite so surprised.
Well, as long as an undead plague isn't next, they should be prepared to handle anything else they encounter.
(P.S. that was one hell of a deus ex machina to use just for throwing them off the gang's trail.
We have just jumped the shark and flew off into space! Brilliant.
Well, it's not as strange as the UFO ending for Silent Hill, at least....
Leaving Roswell New-Mexico can be such a bitch!
First I was like what?! But then I laughed it off from how random the whole thing was. Aww Rarity's hat!
This reminded me too much of Fallout 3's DLC: Mothership Zeta.
Is that what inspired this chapter?
Dzurglar Slevin awoke to find its crew dead. As captain it was its duty to dispose of the bodies into the sun. How thier crèche-mates would wail when the gruesome news wafted into their scent nodes. Dzurglar wiggled from side to side in dismay as it assessed the damage to the ship. Deciding to put away its grief and craving for justice, Dzurglar patched up the ship's control pods sufficiently for the craft to wake up.
"What happened?" she scented, her basic scent redolent with alarm and damage.
"The local life forms were hostile," replied Dzurglar, lacing its words with loss and regret.
"How terrible! The Kuledex Horticultural Society has never known such loss from any collection action in its centuries of existence."
"Yes", wafted Dzurglar. "Who knew there existed beings who would cling so tightly to their intestinal flora, that they would kill rather than gift us some."
The ship pondered. "Let us leave this sad planet, its dangerous bipeds and its deliciously redolent bovines. Perhaps they will be more welcoming in a few decades."
"That is wise council, ship. Depart. I do not like the smell of this place. And the inhabitants obviously do not give a shit."
Ship lifted off into the night sky.
I don't get it, what does Roswell have to do with the random alien abduction?
(Rips off mask and stares at disappearing ship) "Aliens..."
Suddenly, aliens.
3448897
My sides are in orbit with the aliens.
Cowboys and Aliens!
After meeting a unicorn, Frank isn't really freaked out by anything anymore it seems. Strikes me odd about how quickly Rarity identified the scene as an alien abduction.
What's going on here...
That was really dumb.
Okay, that came as a surprise.
Calling it now, this is a dream sequence. Frank was trying not to fall asleep, after all.
Ah, Roswell.
Makes sense.
Though I do like to agree with VoxUmbra that it might be a dream sequence.
Either way, it really caught me off guard. I hope this isn't a red herring.
Oh! It's a Big-Lipped Alligator Moment!
how did I know ALIENS would get involved at ROSWELL!?
3445952 That it does
3461768
3621660
3445952
It had to be done.
Well that escalated quickly.